Page 23 of Recklessly Yours

“You don’t remember the guys you went on dates with in the last six months?” Looking over the list, there were a lot of names. But to not remember, the dates must have been awful. I shouldn’t like the idea that she’d been disinterested in all of them, but I felt a hair lighter anyway.

“I can’t remember all their names. Honestly, I’m not even sure I knew some of their last names. I’d recognize their pictures, though. But the truth is, most of these guys were that forgettable.”

The last thing I wanted to do was go through the damn apps again. But determined to get through this as painlessly as possible, I navigated to my web browser and pulled up the first dating site.

Almost an hour later, we had gone through the names and I’d added half a dozen more to the list. Guys she’d either talked to on the phone from the app but hadn’t gone out with or that she’d met off-line. This was a good starting point, though I had enough experience to know it likely wouldn’t be simple to narrow this list down.

Her phone buzzed in rapid succession from the kitchen counter, so with a sigh, she stood and darted for it.

“Dammit.” She groaned as she turned toward me. “I forgot I’m supposed to meet the girls for margaritas at Mamacitas tonight.”

“They’ll understand why you can’t come.” I didn’t look up as I said it, but I was met with nothing but silence. The heat of her gaze burned into me, finally forcing me to look at her. Sure enough, she was sending me a death glare. I leaned back on the sofa and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for her argument.

“I never said I wasn’t going.”

For a beat, I was speechless. She couldn’t possibly be serious. My lips tightened into a firm line as she blinked at me, waiting.

“There’s a psychopath out there that might be trying to hurt you…or worse.” I tossed my hands in the air. Keeping her safe was going to be a hell of a thing if she didn’t even try to work with me. “I figured that staying away from bars was implied.”

She fisted her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing further. “I’m not going to stay locked up in my apartment for the next week.”

I scoffed. Now she was just being dramatic. “I didn’t say that. But a night out at a crowded bar is not worth the risk.”

“That’s your opinion, but in this situation, that’s for me to decide. Isn’t it?”

Jaw locked, I breathed in and out through my nose. “I’m in charge of your safety, so I get to decide.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, and how do you plan to stop me?”

Standing, I matched her glare. “I could start by handcuffing you to your bed.”

Her breath hitched, and her eyes widened, pupils dilating.Fuck. Would she like that kind of thing? My heart hammered in my chest. I could see it. Her in those tiny-ass shorts waiting for me. But in my mind, it was my bed she was locked to. And I’d make sure she fucking loved it.

I blinked. What the hell? Where had that come from? Obviously it shouldn’t matter whether she’d like it. She was Rhett’s sister. I cleared my throat and banished the thought. “How about we compromise?”

A night out with her friends would be a great way to decrease her stress and give her a chance to forget about the danger she was in for a little while. I understood that. But a crowded bar? No way.

She huffed. “I’m listening.”

“Why don’t you invite them here instead?”

She immediately opened her mouth, but before she could argue, I raised a hand.

“I’ll sit outside in my car and keep an eye out.”

There was only one way into her apartment building, whereas Mamacitas had multiple points of entry.

She stared at me for a long minute before finally letting her shoulders relax. “Fine.”

At the sound of a dog barking nearby, I strode to the window and peered through the blinds. A man with a black lab on a leash stood nearby. The dog was barking incessantly in the direction of the trees that lined the edge of the parking lot.

My gut instinct didn’t like it. But a second later, the dog stopped and turned its attention away.

“Everything okay?”

I turned back to Hattie and nodded. “Yeah. Just a dog.” I was on high alert, but that could have been nothing, so there was no reason to worry her unnecessarily. “Did you want to head to my place to get your car?”

She sighed. “Yeah, if the girls are coming here, then I’ll need to get snacks and stop by the liquor store.”

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